Hold on to your beer hats, folks. The 13th Annual Strong Beer Festival is returning to Phoenix this Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Steele Indian School Park. The event will offer beers that mean business (a.k.a strong beers with high alcohol content) as well as a variety of craft beers for your sampling enjoyment. Festival-goers will receive a commemorative 4-ounce tasting glass, 15 drink tickets, and plenty of access to food vendors on site. General Admission is $45 ($10 if you're the designated driver). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Arizona Beer Week online.

Watch out central foodies - this Sunday the West Side be representin'. Flavors of the West, happening at Litchfield Park from noon to 6 p.m., is a culinary event celebrating the talents of West Valley chefs and their establishments, and benefiting the The Phoenix Children's Hospital. The event will feature unlimited food from participating restaurants such as Amuse Bouche, Betty's Nosh, and Soul to Soul Cafe; as well as cooking demonstrations, a silent auction, and live music from Champagne Tap and The Wiley One. General admission is $45. For more event details or to purchase a ticket, visit Flavors of the West online.

Cocktail Week (yes, it's the same time as Beer Week. You can read all about the celebration battle here) is kicking off the festivities with a Cocktail Carnival, happening this Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. on the lawn at the Hotel Valley Ho. The carnival will feature: local and national bartending talent; liquor samples from top name brand ambassadors; pop-up shops and signature beverages from a selection of bars around the country; live music from Colorado-based band Bonnie and the Beard; a food court with booze-infused cotton candy; prizes, games, and more.

VIP ticket holders will be able to access to the evening's Beam and BBQ on the Balcony, an exclusive carnival event featuring savory meats and Jim Beam cocktails. For more information about the carnival, a full listing of the week's events, or to purchase tickets, visit Arizona Cocktail Week online.

This Saturday, El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina of Chandler is inviting you to participate (or at least witness) some serious taco take-down. Starting at 4 p.m., 20 first-come sign ups will compete to see who can eat the most ground beef tacos in just 5 minutes. The first place winner will walk away with a $75 cash prize and trophy while second place will receive a $25 gift certificate to El Palacio.

Two other Serrano family locations will also be holding their own taco competitions, including: Casa Serrano of Lake Havasu (same day, same time) and Casa Serrano of Mohave Valley (Sunday at 4 p.m.)

The buy-in for this all-you-can-eat sprint is only $10. To find out more about how you can reserve your spot at the table (or at least a good viewing seat) visit El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina on Facebook.

Listen up Mary, Mary-quite-contrary's, Maya's Farm is teaming up with Seacat Gardens to bring you some green thumb know-how. Starting this Sunday from 1 to 2 p.m. at Maya's Farm, the dynamic gardening duo will be kicking off their Real Farmers Teaching Real Techniques Class Series. This weekend's class, Tomatoes 101: Techniques in Planting Heirloom Tomatoes, will be taught by Carl Seacat, who will also be selling heirloom tomatoes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m on site. Admission is $18. For a full listing of classes or to purchase tickets, visit the Real Farmers teaching event online.